Union Minister of Urban Development, and Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that the Government is working towards a model urban system that can allow the aspirations of all sections of the society, and can offer investment climate for intellect and money. Inaugurating the Regional policy Dialogue on Sustainable Urbanization in South Asia here today, he said the Government has embarked on a mission to create 100 smart cities, which would provide sustainable economic, social and physical infrastructure, ensuring high quality of life.
Shri Naidu said that the proportion of urban population is expected to rise rapidly in South Asia, and the gigantic ‘urban demographic transformation’ needs to be managed in a manner that is more sustainable in terms of environment and more inclusive in economic and social terms. It must not lead to proliferation of slums, traffic congestions, increase in crime rate, etc. He called for thoughtful actions, strategic planning, and harnessing of new technologies so that there is smarter, more inclusive and sustainable development pattern. The Minister said a strong engagement is required between science of planning and policy, to enable affordable solutions for our cities.
Naidu said that real growth of the region’s urban systems can be done through innovative planning, effective governance and dependable funding. He said that the role of the private sector is crucial in these efforts as it can provide new knowledge and technology for enabling development of sustainable infrastructure and also for raising the financial resources required to bring about the change. The minister said that considering the mammoth financial requirements for sustainable urbanization in South Asia, public-private partnerships have to play an important role. He said the people’s participation in the development process is of utmost importance, and there should be provision of institutional infrastructure for efficient, accountable and transparent governance. Smart cities are possible only with smart leadership and smart urban citizenry. Shri Naidu said that the fruits of new technologies should be harnessed so that our future cities become more efficient in use of energy and natural resources.
Since cities are combinations of people, materials and factors that bind them together (values and emotions), we need to invest in hard (Material base) as well as soft (culture) resources. He said that nature, culture and future should go hand in hand. He said the pursuit of inclusive and sustainable urbanization in South Asia would help the region in achieving the development goals, and narrow the gaps in terms of social and physical infrastructure. Naidu said that we need to look at and benefit from lessons from other regions in the area, and adopt the best practices. He said that deliberations and exchange of experiences in the region would provide useful insights to the Government as it plans and moves ahead to develop smart cities across the length and breadth of the country.
Earlier, the Minister strongly condemned the barbaric killing of innocent school children in Pakistan. Shri Naidu said that terrorism is the enemy of mankind, and all should work together to fight the menace. He said that terrorism affects progress and development, and poor, women and children are its worst victims. He said there may be differences in ideology but using gun is not the solution. Shri Naidu conveyed his heart felt sympathies for the families of the victims, and prayed for earlier recovery of the injured. A two-minute silence was also observed to mourn the incident.